Ballast working implement



Nov. 22, 1938. c, JAQKSQN I BALLAST WORKING IMPLEMENT Filed Oct. 28, 1935 lwE NTOR. Corwill Jackson BY M 5 '19 ATTORNEY;

Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES" PATENT OFFICE BALLAST WORKING IMPLEMENT Corwill Jackson, Ludington, Mich- Application October 28, 1935,] Serial No. 46,982.

Claims. (Cl. 104-43) The main objects of this invention are: same, and returning the cleaned rock to the tie First, to provide a ballast working tool of high: crib. Thi'sis an expensive operation and many frequency vibration for the purpose of loosening devices and machines have been tried to reduce ballast or tamping between and under railroad the cost thereof. I have found that the device Second, to provide an implement of the type skeletonizlng purpose or for loosening the described having reversible blades which are ballast without removing it (which is termed also adjustable with respect to supporting means bleeding), yet it simple in-construction. therefor. My improved ballast working implement comties and/or skeletonizing the same. of my invention is extremely efficient for this 5.

Third, to provide a tool for use in connection prisesa handle 4, a vibrating motor 6, a resilient 10:

with ballast loosening or tamping operations, blade-1ike shank T, and a p ur of blades 0 which is characterized by the novel construction picks 8 which are held in operative relation on thereof. the holder. As clearly" shown in Fig. 3, blades 8' Fourth, to provide a ballast working impleare formed to provide a pointed working end 9 ment which is extremely efficient and simple in and a flatwise tape d end Coop W 15$ operation. shank l to: hold blades 8 in fixed relation thereto,

Objects relating to details and economies of I. Provide a pair of plates ll, 12 at either side of my invention will. appear from the description to shank 1", blades 8 being placed between the shank follow. The invention is defined and pointed and plate H. Plate L2 is angled in cross section out in the claims. to provide a stopor pusher member I3 and bolts 20 Preferred embodiments of my invention. are M-extend throughplates: H- between blades 8 and illustrated. in the accompanying drawing in through shank 1 and plate IZ tO clamp the blades which: in operative position. Nuts t5 cooperate to Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a ballast working tighten the: assembly. y the above described 5- implement embodying features of my invention. p o o s, W l be 8 1 that I'hEWe p o Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in side elevation, a tool. embodying. adjustable blades 8 which may illustrating my improved implement in operative be p c d in y d d po w respect to relation with. respect to ballast between the ties. S k T d p d t eto w se, blades 8 of a railroad track. may, if desired, be reversed sothat either of Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view in perspective the working-ends 9v andv H1 is available. Stop 3 of one of the blades embodied in my invention. as is shown in Fig. 2, acts s a pusher element Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a modified tool. to ur e the ba last 01115 from between ties I. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a In operation, the tool just described is vibrated modified form of my device, illustrating its positransversely or orbitally y h que y Vibration in use in a ballast tamping operation. tions imp to the Same y tOI 6 wh ch 35 Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the to l emincludes a rotating eccentric element or unbalployed in the modification of Fig. 5. ancing weight IS on the shaft I'l thereof, with Referring to the drawing, reference numerals the result that sifting action is imparted to the l and 2 indicate respectively a railway tie and picks blades The handle 4 is fle y t- 40 track. The reference numeral 3 indicates ballast tached to the motor 6 by means of a frame made 40 in the form of crushed rock placed between and p Of members o ed a Spaced by under the ties as a foundation or bed for the cross members 20, Adjustable With respect same. to cross piece 20 on frame members l8, I9, I

It has been found that the Voids betw n th mount a slide 22 carrying a cross rod (not shown).

rocks gradually fill with clay, cinders and other Likewise, adjacent cross piece 2| a similar cross 45 fine particles of foreign matter which become rod 23 is fixedly mounted in members l8, IS. A cemented, with the result that proper drainage support member 24 of flexible material is looped through the rock voids is prevented. Accordingaround cross rod 23 and the cross rod carried in ly, it is necessary to clean this ballast about once Slide 22, and 11101101 5 is Suitably ta ed to the each three years. In railway circles, this operasupport member. Frame members l8, H) are 50 tion as ordinarily performed is termed skeletonsuitably rigidly attached to d e izing the track, and heretofore it has consisted At t e end thereof, ppo ppo ember in a manual loosening of the cemented material 24, motor 6 carries a pair of plates 25, 26 between between the ties with blades, shoveling it out of which is received shank I mounting the tool of the space between the adjacent ties, cleaning the my invention. Bolts 21 rigidly secure plates 25, 55

26 and shank I in working position. A conducting cable 28 is connected to motor 6 in conventional manner for supplying operating current thereto.

In Fig. 4, I show a modification of a tool suitable for use in connection with the vibrating means of high frequency just described, comprising shank 1, plates 25, 26 and a blade 29 extending the width of shank l and provided with a plurality of pointed picks or tines 30. Blade 29 is secured to shank by bolts 3! or other suitable securing means, preferably of a type to allow the removal of the pick from the blade.

Alternatively, I may employ in connection with my device blades such as are illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 having one end of the same squared to provide blunt tamping surfaces 8|. The blades of this modification are mounted on the bladelike shank I in the same manner as are the blades 8 hereinbefore described. The device illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 may be employed in tamping or compacting gravel to a suitable degree once the track has been skeletonized. In such employment of the blades 8 having tamping sur faces 8|, it is obvious that the pusher element l3 may be omitted. By combining the pointed ballast loosening ends 9 and the blunt tamping ends 8| on a single blade 8, it will be obvious that I have provided a tool element of high utility, since the pointed ends may be utilized to loosen gravel which has become cemented, after which operation the blade may be reversed and the gravel properly tamped to give the necessary firmness of foundation for the ties.

In all the modifications of my invention, I

contemplate employing a shank 1 of a resilient material since I find that the effectiveness of my implement is improved by such a feature.

It is believed that from the above description the operation of my device is clear. My implement is used in so-called skeletonizing operations and where new ballast is to be inserted between and under ties. The adjustable feature of the blades permits the device to penetrate any desired depth of ballast, while the reversible feature thereof adapts it for ready use in connection with differing conditions encountered and for differing operations. It has been found that the high frequency vibration imparted to the blades not only loosens the ballast but tends to shake the particles of cement-like material from the rock and thus performs a very good job of cleaning without removal of the material from the crib or space between adjacent ties.

The machine is also highly efiicient for tamping rock ballast under loose ties particularly if the ballast is badly cemented together with clay and other foreign material. The relatively narrow multiple blades effectively settle and compact the ballast under the tie. The machine may be easily manipulated to accomplish both the breaking up and tamping action.

I have illustrated and described my improvements in embodiments which I have found very practical. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my improvements as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A ballast working tool comprising a shank, a plurality of reversible and adjustable blades mounted thereon, and means for clamping said blades to said shank comprising an angled pusher element extending upwardly from said shank.

2. A ballast working tool comprising a shank, a plurality of adjustable blades mounted thereon, and means for clamping said blades to said shank comprising an angled pusher element extending upwardly from said shank.

3. A ballast working tool comprising a shank, a plurality of blades mounted thereon, means for clamping said blades to said shank, and an angled pusher element mounted on said shank and extending transversely thereof.

4. A ballast working tool comprising a shank, a plurality of blades mounted thereon, each blade having a plurality of working ends of differing character, and. means for removably clamping said blades to said shank, permitting the blades to be reversed.

5. A ballast working tool comprising a shank, a plurality of blades mounted thereon, each blade having a plurality of working ends, and means for removably clamping said blades to said shank, permitting the blades to be reversed.

CORWILL JACKSON. 

